Fluid containers are used by persons in a variety of situations from refreshments and sports drinks to medication or dietary supplements. In some instances it is a simple act to remove a cap from a bottle and drink or dispense of the container's contents. In other situations it may be difficult to drink or dispense of the container's contents in recommended volume or without spilling. Additionally, an open container, one without a fluid control device, will spill its contents freely when knocked over or dropped resulting in unnecessary waste.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,670 is a Flow Control Element and Covered Drinking Cup. This patent describes not only a cap, but the container to which it attaches. They are both part of the intended design. The cap (not including the container to which it attaches) is a two part device. The cap proper and a flow control element that is attached to the under side of the cap. There are two molded tubes or channels that extend down under the cap's spout and vent. The two parts have the a flow control element attached to them. The design is considered spill resistant, but the cap is always open.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,055 describes a snap-on, screw-off cap with a tamper-evident skirt and container. The patent relates to both the cap and bottle. The container has ratchet teeth molded into the outer wall off the upper neck allowing the snap-on cap to grip and lock to the container making the opening impossible without rupture of a tamper evident band.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,898 shows a screw cap closure. The cap design is thermo-formed from a sheet of thin plastic. It has a seal in its upper/inner lid so as to seal a container by screwing the cap down on the bottle and pressing the seal tightly against the upper rim of the container. This is a cost saving method of producing the generic screw cap for bottles. No spout or pouring ability is mentioned. No function beyond sealing the container is described.